Doc Martin's Blog
Click here to see Doc and Lynda's Itinerary
Start at the bottom of the blog and read up to read the year in chronological order.
June 16, 2025 - Happy Father's Day
Wow! I am blessed! Sausage, biscuits and gravy are one of my favorite things. What a great Father's Day surprise. I am even more blessed by the sweet wife that prepared them. She loves and cares about my kids and honors me as if I were the father of her's kids. Perfect day. Hope you had a great day too.
June 15, 2025
I was updating the blog tonight and noticed I had a typo at the top of the page. It should have read, "Start at the bottom of the blog and read up to read the year in chronological order." What I had written was "criminological order." I realize some people believe my preaching is a crime but I should not advertise it. I can't believe no one noticed this. Does anyone read this page?
June 9, 2025
We had a blessed Pentecost Sunday at First Assembly of God in Saint Jo, Texas. I was a teenager the first time I preached here. Lynda did a great job sharing about our missionary adventures. She always does. It was good to see several of our friends from the Durham clan. Thank you Pastors Charles and Jan Reed for your warm welcome and hospitality.
My dad was born just a few miles from Saint Jo and many of my ancestors are buried in the area.
May 25, 2025
My family had not had a reunion in decades. Except to gather for funerals we just never got to see one another. I decided more than a year ago to host a reunion in Duncan. We had a great time. Cousins came from as far away as Pittsburgh. We had a time to remember the faith of our grandparents and sang some old hymns together. Of course, the evangelist is always in me and I took the opportunity to tell those who do not serve God that like so many of family that had died, they too would face eternity.
In this photo, Lynda and I are with my brother Danny and his wife Anita. My grandmother made this quilt. It is probably 100 years old. The hat belonged to my grandfather. The offset photo is their wedding picture.
May 23, 2025
There are not many churches that schedule extended meeting these days but we were blessed to have another revival at Living Waters in Magnolia, Texas. Pastor Mike and Joan Colston are long-time friends and wonderful hosts. We enjoyed the Colstons and their great church.
May 4, 2025
The first Sunday in May found us back in familiar territory at Lighthouse in Burkburnett, Texas. Talk about close to home, I doubt there is a church in Texas closer to the Red River. They tried to get to the promise land. lol. It is always great to be with the Scotts and their family of believers.
May 3, 2025
In September we will be in Brazil for two conferences and a crusade. One meeting is called the Everyone Conference. These few days will serve as a launching pad for the raising up of a new generation of evangelists for Brazil. We just got the promo material. We are so excited to be part of this great step of faith.
April 29, 2025
We attended the Oklahoma Assemblies of God network annual conference. Our friend Tim Enlow was the speaker. Tim is the national leader for Assemblies of God evangelists. He is also a great encourager and has been a personal blessing to Lynda and I.
We also received a special blessing when we met Ashley Wilson at the conference. Ashley's dad, Dr. William Wilson is the President of Oral Roberts University. Ashley, a powerful Pentecostal leader in his own right leads Empower21 a para-church missions organization. Their goal is that every person on earth will hear the gospel by 2033. I have known both of men since the Azusa Street Centennial in 2006. Ashley invited us to take a behind-the-scenes tour of some new buildings on the ORU campus. We are pleased to say the university is vibrant, growing and Spirit-filled.
April 27 , 2025
Pastors Lance and Connie Perritt invited us to do a Pentecostal Heritage weekend at the Cement Assembly of God in Cement, Oklahoma. I have known Lance for many years and really enjoyed their fellowship. After Sunday service we had a grand potluck dinner. Sam Goodman of the famed Happy Goodman family would say, "We go where they feed us." Amen to that.
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The first bachelor's degree I earned was at the Oklahoma Missionary Baptist College in Marlow, Oklahoma. Lance's dad was the president of that school. We did not always agree on doctrine but we never had a disagreement. Dr. Perritt was a gentleman's gentleman and a dedicated servant of God. I honor his memory and thank him for wetting my appetite for a greater education.
April 25, 2025
When we were grounded by COVID and couldn't travel I planted a large area of irises in our backyard. We called it our coronairis garden. Something good and beautiful should come from that awful plague. We love to travel and preach around the world but it is great to be home when these beautiful and delicate flowers bloom.
April 15, 2025
It is always a blessing to be with our friends at Family Revival Center in Foley, Alabama. Pastor Tommy Howard was one of my students at BRSM. FRC has been consistently supporting our missions ministry longer than any other church. We give thanks to God for this great church and for our friendship.
April 11, 2025
On our way to Alabama to preach we stopped in East Texas to see Sonny and Margie Jaynes. Sonny and I worked together at BRSM. Before I knew Sonny and before I moved to Pensacola if I had friends headed for the revival I would tell them let the guy who looks like Lloyd Bridges pray for you, he has the power. Sonny was a personal friend of Leonard Ravenhill and prayed with him often. You can't make old friends.
March 27, 2025
I don't have a lot of treasures as far as monetary value is concerned but I have some things that are treasures to me. This book was given to me by some young men in Wales. It is the sermons of Martin Luther and was published in 1581. Someone who owned the book more than 200 years ago did the math on the fly leaf and discovered it was 232 years old when he owned it. I am so blessed.
March 16 , 2025
Happy birthday Brother Swaggart! We traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to celebrate Jimmy Swaggart's 90th birthday. I first heard Brother Swaggart preach in 1969. It was the greatest sermon I had ever heard. It still is. This man even through his ups and downs has always been my hero.
March 10, 2025
As many of you know I have been working on a biography of Aimee Semple McPherson for Whitaker House. The project has been overwhelming. Because of different visions for the book I asked Whitaker to release me from the contract which they graciously did. I will continue to work on the book but on my schedule and according to my plans.
March 5, 2025
When Lynda and I lived in Texas we enjoyed an occasional visit to a rodeo. They are very entertaining and quite patriotic. We felt it worth our while to drive down to Houston for their gigantic rodeo. My brother Dan and his wife Anita made the trip with us. It did not disappoint. There were 69,934 people present. Happy trails.
February 24, 2025
Heaven on earth! That is the only way I can describe our weekend at Harvest Church in Washington, North Carolina. Every service was kissed by the presence of the sweet Holy Spirit. We were treated like royalty and left far more blessed than when we came.
Pastor Brian Oliver was also one of my students at BRSM (I think I see a pattern).
February 21, 2025
I really enjoy introducing Lynda to places I have enjoyed eating before we were together. I had told her about the tenderloin biscuits at the Burger Shack in Thomasville, North Carolina. I couldn't remember exactly where it was located so I got directions from my dear friend James Dodd. The biscuit was as good as I remembered. I had also told her about this wonderful pastry shop with fritters and cinamon rolls but, alas, again I didn't know where it was located. By the favor of God it was right next door. We both left Thomasville smiling.
February 20, 2025
The last time Lynda and I tried to visit the Billy Graham Library and Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina it was closed for some remodeling. On this trip east we were fortunate to find it in full operation. If you ever have an opportunity please visit this wonderful place. It is one of the best places on earth. Like Billy Graham's life and ministry, every part of the museum lifts up Jesus and evangelizes the lost.
February 16, 2025
It is always a blessing to be with our friends at Family Revival Center in Foley, Alabama. Pastor Tommy Howard was one of my students at BRSM.
February 4, 2025
Dr. Daniel Isgrigg from Oral Roberts University wrote a fine review of my William Seymour biography. Influence Magazine, a periodical for Assemblies of God ministers carried the inspiring review. It is a little long but does a great service to the book. Forgive me if I seem a little proud. Enjoy.
The Pentecostal story is one of unlikely heroes. Our story is more about ordinary people who do extraordinary things through the power of the Spirit than the exploits of the powerful and elite.
No one exemplifies this more than Pastor William J. Seymour, the founder of the Azusa Street Mission and Revival. His story is one of simple obedience, profound influence, and humble leadership amidst profound obstacles against him.
In 1999, Larry Martin was one of the first to tell Seymour's story in a full biography called The Life and Ministry of William Seymour . Martin is well known for his desire to bring the details of Pentecostal history to life through his relentless archival research. That book introduced many in our movement to the humble leader whose small mission became the center of a global revival.
Twenty-five years later, Martin re-released his Seymour biography with Whitaker House, which contains updated research and new insights into Seymour's life and ministry.
The quality of historical research in Martin's work is remarkable. He skillfully unpacks the scant details of Seymour's early life as one of 16 children born into a family of formerly enslaved Africans in Louisiana.
Next, Martin tracks Seymour as he journeys North as a young adult, where Martin uncovers Seymour's early ministry in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis and his exposure to the Holiness movement in Cincinnati. Probing city directories, newspaper clippings, and archival collections, Martin pieces together a sketch of Seymour's life that would no doubt be lost to history.
Complemented with copies of rare photographs, news clippings, and scans of documents, the historical work in this volume is truly breathtaking.
Martin's biography not only gives details of Seymour's life but also of the significant secondary actors in the Azusa Street Revival story. Alongside the details of Seymour's journey, Martin uses his research skills to unearth historical details for important figures, including Lucy Farrow, Edward Lee, and Frank Bartleman. The historical details Martin adds about the people and events give the story depth.
Important to Seymour's life is his complicated relationship with Charles Parham. Having also authored a biography of Parham (Whitaker House, 2022), Martin does not shy away from the issues of racism in Parham's relationship with Seymour.
At the same time, Martin suggests this is a later development. For example, he provides evidence that challenges the often-repeated story that Seymour had to listen to Parham's teachings through the window at the Houston Bible school because of Jim Crow laws. Martin also points out that Seymour was a partner in ministry with Parham. Seymour was considered to have great potential in helping Parham reach other Blacks in the South.
Seymour is of primary importance as the leader of the Azusa Street Revival. Several chapters are devoted to how the revival began and its impact on many of the movement's early leaders.
However, as is in the book title, Martin emphasized Seymour as “Pastor of the Azusa Street Revival.” This is a significant contribution to the work. Seymour wasn't just host to a revival; he was a faithful shepherd during the move of God. Seymour balanced the freedom of the Spirit with the responsibility for maintaining biblical order. While a humble man, he knew when to step in when someone was trying to detract from keeping Jesus at the center.
Every page of Martin's portrayal reflects his respect for Seymour's humble and spiritual leadership. Martin believes Seymour to be “one of the purest, saintliest, and humblest men who ever lived.” Pastor Seymour led three services daily for at least three years during the heart of the revival.
Martin points out that while American society was at the height of its cruelty to Black men, Seymour's ministry made a difference in thousands of lives. His mission inspired and impacted the lives of nearly every Pentecostal denomination. Seymour provided space for where the love of God erased differences because of race and cultural norms. He passionately proclaimed the power of Pentecost to change people's lives. The mission attracted people from around the world and empowered missionaries to travel across the globe with the gospel.
While Martin sees Parham as the “Father of the Pentecostal Movement,” there is no doubt that Seymour's Azusa Mission was the catalyst that introduced the world to the message of Pentecost.
The story Martin tells of Seymour's life in ministry is vital for Pentecostals in several ways. Seymour overcame poverty and lack of education in his childhood yet became a leader of thousands in the Kingdom. He also overcame a personal illness that caused blindness in one eye, yet Seymour had a vision of unity and diversity that few could see. He overcame racism in a society that would relegate him to the margins, yet Seymour impacted the world. I agree with Martin that Seymour is one of our movement's most significant leaders.
The book's last few chapters focus on the tragedy of the Seymour story. This is a part of the story many people do not know. For a brief few years, the Azusa Mission was heaven on earth. But by 1909, the vision faded as the realities of human ambition, racism, jealousy, and sinfulness worked to unravel the revival.
The local press derided Seymour with racist cartoons mocking the Pentecostal phenomenon that took place. White leaders tried multiple times to take over the leadership of the revival. Other white Pentecostal missions in Los Angeles competed for followers.
Seymour's close friend, Clara Lum, suddenly left his ministry and stole the Apostolic Faith paper along with its mailing list, leaving Seymour without a publication. Parham's jealousy of Seymour's success led to several harsh and racist tirades about his leadership.
By 1910, Seymour struggled to keep the mission open, and his travels from that point were primarily in Black Pentecostal churches. The movement he catapulted to prominence all but forgot about him.
I am deeply grateful for Martin's attention to the tragic side of Seymour's story. It can be very easy to glorify the past and celebrate revivals as “heaven on earth.” But history tells us this was far from the case.
Yes, many miracles took place, but many injustices also happened. We cannot allow nostalgia to override the truth of the past. We must confront the reality that while Frank Bartleman may have observed that the “color line was washed away in the blood,” the issues of racism and white superiority were instrumental in its demise.
By God's grace, Pentecostalism spread, and today is the fastest-growing segment of Christianity. But that is a testimony to God's mercy, not a tribute to our forbearers' spiritual integrity. The stories about the ugly side of the early Pentecostal movement are just as crucial for us to understand as the stories of the miracles. They teach us that behind the glory, there are human realities that must be guarded against.
If it can happen at Azusa Street, the most significant historical revival, then it can happen on Main Street today. We can't fix the past, but we can work towards the vision Pastor Seymour gave the world.
Martin has given our movement a great gift in this book. His historical research and passion for revival are a perfect mix. Seymour's story and the Azusa Street Revival story are inseparable. It is a story about a God who moves and the humble servant whom He uses. It is about tongues of fire and tongues used to denigrate. It is about miracles and mistakes. It is a story about God's power and human frailty. Every generation deserves a Pentecost. We have a responsibility to tell this story.
“The stories of what happened in a dilapidated building on an unpaved street in Los Angeles will be told as long as new generations of Spirit-empowered believers have breath to retell them,” Martin concludes.
January 20, 2025
We were blessed to preach at First Assembly of God in Marlow. Lynda shared about our mission's work. She always make me so proud. Pastor Elwyn Rogers was ill but we enjoyed good fellowship with Sister Rogers.
January 15, 2025
Lynda and I had a quite start to the new year. We celebrated the New Year at home listening to worship on youtube. What a great way to start a year. I have been very busy researching a writing for my Aimee Semple McPherson book.
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